Whatever Bumps in the Night
by Darth Tromeros
Summary: Rose suddenly has a childhood flashback when a nightmare leaves her a bit scared of the dark. She checks on the Doctor just to make sure he's okay, but he wakes up. Things ensue.


When Rose was a little girl, she was afraid of the dark as any other child would be. She was too proud to admit it, yet her young, wildly imaginative mind spun shadows in dark corners and menacing voices. There were nights she had woken her mother up to ask if she could sleep next to her, the sound of her mom's gentle breathing protection enough against whatever bumped in the night. Those nights, however, faded into fuzzy blips of memory as she grew older, the imaginary monsters in her walls gone and forgotten.

However, being with the Doctor was always a rush, surprises outside the doors of the TARDIS every time they landed. She suspected something from one of their adventures for bringing the childhood fear back so suddenly, making her heart race and skin clammy. It was cool in her room as she woke up with a start, eyes slowly adjusting and breathing fast. She had had a nightmare. All she could remember was her hand reaching out to him, almost at his fingertips when a wave of darkness engulfed him, his voice screaming, "Rose!" as he vanished.

Her name echoed in her head as her breathing steadied. She started thinking over what had scared her, something she was accustomed to when she had nightmares. It helped calm her down, convincing her everything was okay and there was nothing to be frightened of. Closing her eyes, she played the dream in her head again, listening to his cry. He had sounded so _terrified_, something she wasn't used too. The Doctor was never scared. It shook her deep inside, making her wonder what could be so bad as to make the Doctor scream.

She let out a breath as she found what had bothered her. It was only a dream. She could go back to sleep.

Yet something bothered her as she tried drifting off again. She had a sense of unease being in her bed by herself. Soon she was checking every wall of her room after a certain period of time, watching for something she wasn't even sure of.

After a few times she laughed at herself for being silly, but the feeling turned into dread.

_Doctor._

She got out of bed, hurrying out of the room and in the direction to the place where the Doctor slept. Her pace quickened from a fast walk to an almost sprint, her vision at a point where shapes were becoming clearer and more prominent.

Soon she arrived at his room, stopping right in front and staring at the door handle. From inside she heard the soft sounds of his breathing. She was unsure whether to open the door; something inside needed to make sure he was really there, that he hadn't been eaten by darkness. However, she didn't want to wake him up either if he was there, asleep.

After a small internal debate, she slowly turned the knob, pushing against it at a speed where it wouldn't creak loudly. She entered, her bare feet barely making a sound as she walked. His hair was the first thing she saw, messy and sticking out in different directions. Soon the rest of him came into view: he had blankets resting around his waist, but above that everything was bare, chest rising and falling, exposed completely. Rose blinked as she noticed how peaceful and rather gorgeous he looked as he slept, and she couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't anything on as well underneath those blankets.

She stepped closer to him, the space between her and the foot of his bed enclosing, shrinking from feet into a mere few inches when he suddenly woke up. She jumped as the soothing rhythm of his breaths halted, eyes open and blinking, trying to focus. Following this he sat up, the blankets around his waist lightly toppling onto his top of his legs, revealing scrunched-up fabric that rested around his lower hips, indicating he had some worn out pair of pants on. Blinking still, he opened his mouth, voice scratchy as he said, "Rose?"

She only nodded in response. He raised a hand to scratch the side of his neck. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, couldn't sleep. I had a bad dream." Her voice was quiet.

"What, did you want to sleep in my bed?" An amused grin spread across his lips.

"No," she said, crossing her arms loosely. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why did you want to do that?"

"The dream was about you," she told him.

He tilted his head to the side, looking up at her with alert eyes although he had just woken.

"Did I wake you?" she asked. "I'm sorry if I did."

"Nah, I'm a light sleeper. You have to be when you're busy rescuing people." He gave a tired smile.

Rose brushed away strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face. "Sorry for coming in. I'll go back to my room."

"Aren't you going to stay with me?" he asked.

She stopped suddenly, one hand resting against the door. "What?"

"Aren't you going to stay with me?" he asked again. "I would assume you'd like some comfort if you felt the need to check on me."

"You mean stay in your bed with you?"

"If the idea isn't too repulsive." He raised his eyebrows, scooting over and throwing the covers down.

A smile broke out on her face. "Not at all."

He smiled back as she lay down on the bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Comfortable?" he asked.

She scooted in closer to him, their faces almost touching. "Perfect."

"If you don't mind me asking, what was your dream about?"

"You were swallowed by darkness." She gave a forced laugh. "Silly, I know. Even sillier, I felt like a little kid again, thinking there were monsters in my room."

"There weren't any shadows, were there?"

She gave him a look, slight fear on her face. "There isn't some man-eating shadow alien, is there?"

"Not on the TARDIS. For the rest of the universe, well..." He gave a grin, which she returned.

"Not helping."

"Sorry."

She laughed, closing her eyes and burying her head into his chest.

"I like it when you laugh," he murmured.

She bent her head back, opening up her eyes to stare into his. "Really?" She said it almost incredulously.

"Of course I mean it. When do I ever make things up?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him, giving him a disbelieving look.

"Okay, I lie sometimes, but this time I'm not making it up."

She laughed again, causing him go do the same thing. He pulled her closer to him, their legs entangled underneath the sheets. "Oh Rose Tyler," he said, "you're a joy to be around."

"So are you," she sighed, head against his chest again.

He craned his neck to kiss the top of her head, settling back down onto his pillow when she lifted her head to look at him.

"What?" he asked, rolling onto his back. "What's that look for?"

He was answered by her lips suddenly pressed against his, warm and sweet. Her fingers slipped around his face, feeling the beginning of facial hair. At the touch of his hands against the base if her back, she started caressing his cheeks, deepening the kiss. She pulled away slowly moments later, staring into his eyes, looking for any signs of a reaction.

He cleared his throat. "I- I quite like that."

At this, she kissed him again, this time passionate and hungry. Her hands gripped his shoulders as she moved, positioning herself on top of him, legs resting on either side of his body. His arms were inching up her back, giving her goose bumps as they moved, one stopping at the nape of her neck while the other rested in her hair, gently rubbing her head. The kiss became fiercer as she allowed entrance to his tongue, causing the kiss to become even more drawn out as they felt each other.

His hands dropped down to her back again, pressed firmly against her spine as he slowly sat up. The move was unexpected, causing Rose to open her eyes for a brief moment. The Doctor pulled away from her and went to her neck, giving sweet kisses along the side of it. She tried to keep from trembling as he continued down her collarbone. "I'm so glad you wore a tank top," he murmured as he gave slow, loving kisses to her shoulder.

"I can say the same about your choice to lack apparel," she said back, hands running down his arms and crossing to his midriff.

His lips sauntered back up her neck before pressing against her lips lightly. He pulled away, opening his eyes slowly, breathing a bit heavier. Her eyes met his before she smiled and said, "My turn." She pushed against his shoulders so he was laying down again, kissing his jaw line and tangling her fingers in his hair. Her kisses were rough, memorizing the feel of his skin as she continued across his chin and back up to his lips. His hands had found their way back to the arch of her spine, slowly moving across her back.

She had traveled to his neck, kissing the same areas he had kissed her. As she kissed the base of his neck, he let out a pleasured moan. "You like this?" she asked between kisses.

"You better believe it."

A smirk sprawled across her lips as she kissed his chest now. Her speed had slowed down considerably, leaving behind a trail of tender kisses. As she continued down his bicep, his hands tightened around her, freezing in one place. The further down she went, the further his neck craned back, until she was right at his waistline. She paused for a moment before deciding to pull the fabric of his pants down some, kissing his warm skin. "Rose," he moaned, his hands clenched onto her shoulders. Pushing it a little further, she went towards his left hip bone, each kiss slow and heavy as she lingered by his low waist. His muscles were tense, mouth gaped as he let out gasps. She ran her finger along the top of his pants, tickling him slightly.

Lifting her head, she went back to his lips, kissing him intimately for a few moments before rolling off of him. It was silent for a few seconds until he said, "That's it?"

"Oh, did you want more?"

"You're a tease, Rose Tyler," he said, a smile crossing his lips. She smiled back at him, scooting towards him as he wrapped his arm around her again.

"Doctor," she started after a period of silence.

"Yes, Rose?"  
"Did we just snog?"

"I think we might have done more than that."

She gave a small laugh. He rolled onto his side, eyes shining as he looked at her. "Scared anymore?"

"Not really." She grinned widely. "Not at all."

"Good." He kissed her forehead again. "Goodnight, Rose Tyler."

"Goodnight, Doctor."

He closed his eyes, bringing Rose close enough to a point where she could hear his hearts beating. She smiled warmly as she listened to them, absorbing the Doctor's touch. She felt at peace knowing the Doctor was there.

It seemed bright in the room.


End file.
